Vending-machine



unirse STATES ,PATENT UFFlCE..

VENDING-MACHINE.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

Application filed October 18, 1920. Serial No. 417,537.

To allzu/1,0m t may concern 13e it known that we, FRED WV. STIGE and JESSE I-I. Srion, citizens of the United States, residing at Tama, in the county of Tama and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending- Machines, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to coin-controlled machines for vending post cards `or small packages of merchandise and has special reference to the means for feeding the card or other package to the delivery point of the outer casing. One object of the invention is to provide simple means whereby an attempt to 'operate the delivery mechanism without previously depositing` a coin will permit the delivery mechanism to remain 1nactive although the actuating lever may be moved without damage to any of the working parts. The invention also seeks to improve the coin-controlled means whereby the vconstruction will be simplified and the delivery meclianism will be inoperative vuntil a coin is deposited. j

The several `stated objects' and other objects `which will incidentally appearyin the course of the following description are attained in such an apparatus as is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichn Figure lis a longitudinalQvertical section of our improved machine with the parts 1n the inactive normal position;

Fig. 2 'is a similar view showing the position assumed when a packageor a card is being delivered; Y j j Fig. 3 is an. end elevation with the end of the casing removed; Y

Fig, 4L is a horizontal section on the line l-4 of Fig. 1. f i

In carrying outour invention, we employ a base 1 which maybe of any preferred substantial form and upon the same we erect a housing or casing 2, the top 3 of whichl is preferably hinged and secured by a lock, 1ndicated at 4, so that the stock of goods may be replenished when necessary .and unwarranted access thereto will be prevented. In

one end wall 5 of the housing or casing is a delivery'slot 6 through which the package` or card is pushed when the machine is properly operated, and withinthe housing we provide posts or standards 7 supporting la base plate 8, the upper surface of which is iiush with a shelf 9 defining the lowerwall of the delivery slot 6, as clearly shown in `without disturbing the goods.

which ejector fingers 12 may rise to engage the bottom card of the stack of cards, indicated at 13, supported upon the floor or shelf 8. The ejector fingers 12 are so mounted upon a cross head 13 that when they are moved towardthe delivery end of the `apparatus they will engage in the bottom card or package'and will thereby positively feed the same to the delivery slot, but upon reverse movement' they will yield to the stack of cards or packages and ride under the same The cross head 13 isarranged below the floor or plate 8 and is secured to or formed integralwith a slide 14 which extends up into and is movable along a central longitudinal slot 15 in upper side of the slide, we secure a pusher or plate 16 which is preferably of the same width as the Hoor or plate v8 and'has secured upon its'rear edge a cross bar 17, the end of which projects beyondr'one side edge of the plate, as shown in Fig. 4, andas will be presently more particularly set forth.' The pusher platev 16 will preferably be equal in `thickness. to the cards or other packages `a point above the support 8 approximately equal to the thickness of the package or card to be delivered so that thepusher plate 16 may readily pass into engagement with the package or card but will be held to the supporting plate or floor so that buckling of the pusher and its resulting inoperativeness will be prevented.

Suitably journaled upon the base 1 of the device is an operating shaft 20 which has `one end extended throughthe adjacent side `of the housing and equipped with a crank "21 or other form of handle. In the central vertical plane of the stack of cards, this op- 'the floor 8, as shown in Fig.' 4. `Upon the lever arm 22 and a spring 23 is attached at one end to the saidvcrank or lever and at its other end to the base 1, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereby the crank will be normally held in its retracted position, shown in Fig. 1.` A second spring 24:V is also Yattached at one end tothe crank or lever 22, and the other end of this spring is attached readily understood from what has been said that when the handle21 is thrown forward the shaft 20 willY be rocked andthevlever 22 swung tothe position shown in Fig.l 2 so that if a; coin has-been inserted andthe delivery mechanism thereby released the fingersv 12 and the pusher 16 lwill be drawn forward and one end of a card fed through the delivery slot 6 so that it.v maybe grasped by the customer and withdrawn. In order to permit the delivery mechanism tobe actuated, a` coinlmust beinserted and a detent released, but the handle 21 and the shaft 20 may be rocked notwithstanding that no coin has beenlinserted. Such rocking of the shaft 20 will cause the crank or lever 22 to merely distend the springs 23 and 24 so that while the ycross head and the parts5 connected theref to will remain at rest no strain will be exerted on them and breakage ofl any ofithe working parts wilLbeV avoided.

To permit the insertion of a coin and to provide for the release of the delivery mechanism after the. coin is inserted, we provide a coinchute 26 having one end opening through the end wall of the housing and having its other end disposed adjacent one end of a detentV lever 27. Thislever is pivoted between its ends, as at 28, upon one ofthe standards 7 and has its end immediately adjacent thecoin chute beveled, as indicated at 29, and normally projected slightly across the mouth of the chute; so that a coin, indicated Aat f 30, dropping through the chute willtilt the detent and release the opposite end ofthe same from its engagement with the stop bar 17.A The rear end of thev detent is bifurcated, as clearly: shownv in Figs. 1 and 2, and the upper arm-31 ofthe bifurcation is adapted to bear against the forward edge of the stop bar 17, as clearly shown-in Fig. 1, so that kmovement of thev said-bar and the' delivery meehanismgto deliver aY package or card willi bepositively prevented;V `Upon the insertion ofa-coinhowever, the detent will be Y, tilted l whereiqoon;V the*y stop4 bar mayv movefreadily;under-the arm. 31 as shownin- Fig; 2 and acard, or package be 1 delivered. Upon return movement of the stop bar and theu delivery mechanism, the rear side or edge ofthe projecting end of the stop bar will ride upon the inclined or beveled surface 32 of the lower arm 33 and will thereby depress said arm so that the detent will be swung about its fulcrum and ret-urnn to its normal or initial position ready to be engaged and actuated by the insertion of another coin. When the proper coin is inserted the weight of the coin and its impact upon the free end of the detent suffices to raise the extremity of the arm,` 31 above the upper surface of the stop bar so that when the handle 21 is actuated to rock the shaft 2O the delivery mechanismowill be drawn forward. To facilitate the releasing movement. of the-.detent lever, theunder surface of the stop bar may be beveled, asindicated at 34. The parts are sov proportioned that while the stop bar on its return movement may impinge against the end ofthe arm 33, there is clearance Vbetween the stop bar and said arm when the detent isat rest, the combined weight of the arms 31 and 33 slightly overba-lancing the forward portion ofthe detent so that the arm 31A will lie in the path of theV 'stop bar and;` the forward extremity of the deltent will partly close the eXt of the coin chute; Y I 1 y Secured' to and. extending betweenthe standards 7, adjacent the delivery end of theV apparatus, is a gagel plate 35 which is` provided at *its ends with vertical slots 36 through which set screwsy 37 are inserted into the standards 7 whereby the Ysaid plate may be adjusted vertically. The lower edge of thesaid plate is'providedjwith a series ofv teeth 38, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, and the plate Vis to be properly adjusted so that thepoints oftheseteeth will be spaced abovethe support 8a distance suicient to permit the passage of a single card or package and retain the superposed card'or packageinthe stack of goods.4

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as newl isz. Y Y

1. In a vending machine, thecombination of adelivery slide, a stopV thereon, actuating mechanism yieldably` connectedA withv the ,slide,; and a detent pivotallyH mounted between its endsiadjacenti the slide and provided at one end with anl upper membernormally inthe pathofgthe stop and with a lower member extending Y under ther stop, the opposite end of the detent beingj disposed in the path-:of a coin whereby-"anoinserted coin` will i rock the: detent and: release thestopn 'i 2.l In a vending-machine,- the combination ofY Ya slidable` delivery: mechanism, a; detent normally restraining the delivery mechanism againstmovement:v ando'perable; tofy release the. same, janoperating;y shaft mounted for rocking movement, yieldable means for normally holding said rock shaft in inactive position, a radial arm on said shaft, and a yieldable connection between said radial arm and 5 the Slidable delivery mechanism.

3. In a vending machine, the combination of a slidably mounted delivery mechanism, l means :for normally restraining said mechanism against movement and operable to re- 10 lease the same, an operating shaft mounted for rocking movement, a radial arm on said shaft, a contractile spring connecting said arm with the slidable delivery mechanism, and a reinforcing rod tted loosely Within said spring.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures.

FRED W. STICE. 

